Homoeopathy for students and laypeople

Homoeopathy as a healing method came about purely by coincidence, when a German doctor discovered exposure to a medicinal substance actually caused the disease which it was used to treat. That original substance was Cinchona, the active extract of bark that was and still is, used to make quinine; still used to treat malaria to this day. Workers in a factory with high exposure to quinine were developing malarial-type symptoms, despite never having travelled to the tropics or been exposed to malaria. From there, he theorised that if a substance could cause the same disease in a healthy person, surely the sick person could heal by using dilute versions of the same poison?

His life’s work went on to prove his theories correct. We are by nature, energetic beings – that is not an airy fairy or new age statement. If you believe the most basic of science, you will believe that we, along with all matter, contain a vibratory rate. So too with disease – and it is the homoeopathic disease match, found in any morbid matter on the planet, that results in rebalancing the body and restoring health.

The easiest way I find to explain homoeopathy to a patient is to ask them to describe what cutting onions does to a person. Explaining that Allium Cepa will not only remove those symptoms but the ones of hayfever, catarrh and sinusitis – this is usually enough of a ‘picture’ of symptoms. And it is often one of the first remedies they buy.

There are many medical excuses or dismissive explanations for homoeopathy – placebo effect to outright scam. I wonder then, how the bird that had been hit by a car and was bleeding from every orifice and already turning cold, could stand up and fly away some 25 minutes after being given one dose of Arnica 30c.

Or how that baby, tested to be a rhesus negative blood type, the third child of a rhesus positive mother, whose second baby had already gone through a traumatic entry to the world, and subsequent blood transfusion just to survive, not only avoided early spontaneous abortion at 5 months gestation, but survived in utero for another 3 months and was born without any trace of associated health issue. Just through the use of a range of homoeopathics.

Or the comatose lady who was not given the night to live, awoke, walked, talked and ate – things she had not been able to do for months. Or the tuberculosis patient for who modern medicine had no answers – this new wave of drug resistance – that after his family told to prepare for the worst, that he would not last the night, walked out of that hospital free of TB. If placebo, how do these cases ‘encourage’ the cure? One bright spark tried to tell me it was the placebo effect of those around them.

To the world, it sounds incredulous. To a homoeopath, it is commonplace. We see miracles every day, yet medicine and science spends millions annually to shut the modality down altogether – with more and more experts publicly denouncing homoeopathy, one has to wonder if it is out of pure ego.

In my own work, I guess it is no difference to any other homoeopath’s. In order to be accepted, I studied many other modalities – all of which I utilise – but somehow homoeopathy is at the forefront. Coming initially from orthodox medicine, I found homoeopathy almost impossible to understand – and that is possibly the main reason why it has so many detractors – why support something you can’t understand; it’s easier to ridicule! One of my colleagues, a GP, met with a renowned homoeopath in the 80s – one said it was pseudoscience and a ridiculous notion. The other said “If I can explain it to you in a few hours, will you stop with the public ridicule?” They not only sat for a few hours, but the new homoeopathic supporter spent the whole night firing questions – he eventually became one of Australia’s top homoeopaths and upon opening a large training facility, shared that knowledge with hundreds, if not thousands more fledgling homoeopaths.

During my training I was fortunate to study with some of India’s best. And even a few German homoeopaths. Considering homoeopathy is the most used form of medicine in both these nations, that’s some blessing. I was astounded at just how much further their insight went, compared to mine. They allowed me to use the knowledge of course, but allow my own instinct to see the disease picture and compare it to the remedy. To the point that during a consult or discussion, I am able to write down the remedy before we are finished. No blood tests, no scans – the picture the patient displays, often without even opening their mouth to talk, is often enough.

As today’s person is exposed to more disease, more chemicals, more pollution than ever before, and despite medical and even DNA manipulation, thanks to pharmaceutical and surgical influence, one would think that the dilute attenuations of homoeopathy would weaken. Not so. Many of my most memorable cases have been in constitutions that have been so damaged that a human is barely recognisable. Those for whom pharmaceuticals no longer aid the suffering – these are the cases that respond the most efficiently.

So how does this modality fit into today’s competition for health care? It is not funded by governments, as other forms of medicine are. It is publicly lampooned by medical experts who are paid handsomely in kickbacks for doing so. All these people succeed in are preventing the needy from accessing the safest modality of health care in the world. If a remedy is not well chosen, unlike pharmaceuticals or even some herbals, it will have no effect. There is no side effect or dangerous contraindication. It simply wont work because your own vibratory rate does not recognise the vibratory rate of the remedy.

It is not as easy as walking into a pharmacy or health shop and saying you need something for a headache – that is why only homoeopaths should prescribe traditional homoeopathy. And it is the reason why some of us formulate contemporary remedies – this allows an individual to pick what is needed quite easily.

While writing study guides for homoeopathic students, I made sure the most difficult aspects of homoeopathy were firmly grasped before introducing the complexes – otherwise we face the real risk of classical homoeopathy disappearing altogether – as it is now, many naturopaths and doctors claim to be homoeopaths – they are not trained but have learned how to recommend complexes. This may be fine for a small percentage of patients but we face the very real risk of the difficult nature of homoeopathy being left to a few experts and allowing it to turn into a throw away, over the counter health care system.

A homoeopath will usually only choose one simplex – or one remedy. But for home use, and for family health care, even medical care, the contemporary remedy can avoid error. This is where homoeopathy comes into its own. The mystery and confusion that a layperson will find, when trying to navigate a materia medica can be avoided using the complex.

But for any health issue, or range of health issues that your chosen health care has not been able to correct, maybe it is time to book an in-depth consultation with a homoeopath.

Good homoeopaths, like good naturopaths (even less, good doctors) are rare. If you find one, hold onto them. But for simple health care at home, try incorporating some complexes into your medicine kit – http://chrysalishealthdirect.viviti.com/

Sadly in Western Australia at least, I have come into very public scraps with other practitioners – including some very questionable homoeopaths who have done nothing more for the practice than a bad doctor has. But they do exist and are worth seeking. If you haven’t yet, please try it.

Here’s a very interesting link by an esteemed colleague – may quieten the detractors for a while – http://homeomodulation.wordpress.com/wp-comments-post.php

Note – Lulu has been a qualified homoeopath since 1990, having lectured on the topic to medical doctors as well as students. The Chrysalis Homoeopathic Home Medicine Kit was formulated in rural Western Australia, between 1991 and 2000, increasing as demand dictated – up until this time, she found it increasingly frustrating to find that the ‘secretive’ atmosphere around homoeopathy did little to improve the image that had long been one of derision and scorn, so she set about changing it – to the dismay of many of her colleagues. Traditional home medicine kits consist of single remedies (simplexes) which required some major understanding of how to choose a remedy and identify a disease picture. By formulating complex remedies which not only removed the guesswork but allowed a broad-spectrum coverage, the kit has been sold initially around Australia and then (based purely on word-of-mouth) in many nations around the world. Between 1999 and 2003 the range was manufactured in coastal WA. It has been used from pregnancy to elderly, in humans as well as both domestic and wild animals; sports stars and in the entertainment industry. By eventually incorporating WA bush flower essences, tissue salts, a number of bach essences and using only ethically-sourced, cruelty free ingredients, the resulting range has been able to help families all over the world improve and take care of their health by removing the middle-of-the-night emergency dashes, while reducing waiting room queues. The Chrysalis range was also the first to contain purely liquid form tissue salts after unsuccessful lobbying failed to encourage larger homoeopathic companies to stop using lactose (an ingredient linked to many allergies and sensitivities). Today, the Chrysalis range tradition is continuing in the Perth hills and will soon be sold direct via our online store.